The battles of the world : $b or, cyclopedia of battles, sieges, and important military eventsBorthwick, J. Douglas (John Douglas)
History
The battles of the world : $b or, cyclopedia of battles, sieges, and important military events
Borthwick, J. Douglas (John Douglas)
Battles; Military history
“As soon as the Sikhs got into the houses, they were exposed to a
heavy fire from a large body of matchlockmen concealed around them.
They either retired of their own accord, or were ordered to do
so; at all events, they fell back with rapidity and disorder upon
the advancing Highlanders. And now occurred a most extraordinary
scene. Among the matchlockmen, who, to the number of seven or eight
hundred, were lying behind the walls of the houses, was a body of
Ghazees, or Mussulman fanatics, who, like the Roman Decii, devote
their lives with solemn oaths to their country or their faith.
Uttering loud cries, ‘Bismillah, Allah, deen, deen!’ one hundred
and thirty of these fanatics, sword in hand, with small circular
bucklers on the left arm, and green cummerbungs, rushed out
after the Sikhs, and dashed at the left of the right wing of the
Highlanders. With bodies bent and heads low, waving their tulwars
with a circular motion in the air, they came on with astonishing
rapidity. At first they were mistaken for Sikhs, whose passage
had already somewhat disordered our ranks. Fortunately Sir Colin
Campbell was close up with the 42nd; his keen, quick eye detected
the case at once. “Steady, men, steady; close up the ranks. Bayonet
them as they come on.” It was just in time; for these madmen,
furious with bang, were already among us, and a body of them
sweeping around the left of the right wing, got into the rear of
the regiment. The struggle was short, but sanguinary. Three of them
dashed so suddenly at Colonel Cameron, that they pulled him off
his horse ere he could defend himself. His sword fell out of its
sheath, and he would have been hacked to pieces in another moment,
but for the gallant promptitude of Colour Sergeant Gardiner, who,
stepping out of the ranks, drove his bayonet through two of them
in the twinkling of an eye. The third was shot by one of the 42nd.
Brigadier Walpole had a similar escape; he was seized by two or
three of the Ghazees, who sought to pull him off his horse, while
others cut at him with their tulwars. He received two cuts on the
hand, but he was delivered from the enemy by the quick bayonets
of the 42nd. In a few minutes the dead bodies of one hundred and
thirty-three of these Ghazees, and some eighteen or twenty wounded
men of ours, were all the tokens left of the struggle.”
BARNET, BATTLE OF.--This battle was fought between the houses of
York and Lancaster, when Edward IV gained a decisive and memorable
victory over the Earl of Warwick, on Easter day, April 14th, 1471.
The Earl of Warwick, who has been styled in history “The King
Maker,” his brother, the Marquess of Montacute, and 10,000 of his
army were slain. At the moment Warwick fell, he was leading a
chosen body of troops into the thickest of the slaughter, and his
body was found covered with wounds after the battle.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account